Answer Me
by mostlypsychotic
Summary: The Dragonborn is attacked by a shadowy assassin, and does what no Brotherhood target has ever dared to do- she seeks them out. For revenge, or for answers, she doesn't know yet. But with her hireling in tow and a new fire in her heart, she's going to find them.


"Has anybody ever told you that you're insane?"

A few paces ahead, Bellona rolled her eyes and tugged her cloak tighter around her shoulders. She was still trying to adjust to the darkness, and the mouthy hireling behind her wasn't helping her concentrate. Still, she decided to play along, at least for the time being.

"Hm? Why, yes, Marcurio, I often hear that I'm insane. It's as common as being attacked by skeevers," she replied. The Imperial hurried to her side now, glaring up at his employer.

"We were so close, Bellona! The gates of Solitude were _right there_!" he complained. "We could have stopped at the Winking Skeever, have a few drinks, warm ourselves up by a fire, maybe listen to a bard. But _no_, you just have to get this ridiculous gem back to some gods-forsaken shrine up on a mountain!" The Dunmer smiled wanly at the irony of his choice of words, but decided against mentioning it.

"We've spent enough of this trip asleep," she remarked. "I'm not paying you to keep me awake with your snoring. We need to keep moving." Marcurio blinked, affronted.

"I don't _snore_!" Now the elf smirked, privately thrilled to have gotten a fiery reaction out of him.

"Are you sure about that?" As he continued to argue behind her, she raised her hand, letting it fill with a bright light. It was a cloudy night, and the darkness was becoming a hindrance. A small, floating light materialized above her head.

Just in time, it seemed. With their surroundings lit, Bellona could catch sight of a small rustling in the trees. She stopped abruptly, narrowing her eyes.

Somehow, Marcurio was _still _talking. She swept back and covered his mouth with a gloved hand, much to his amazement.

"Mmph?!"

"Be quiet," she ordered him, her free hand reaching for the sword in its hilt. When she was sure that the Imperial was silenced, she let go and drew her weapon, stepping forward cautiously. "Who's there?"

The only answer was a battle cry, as a shadowy figure launched itself from the trees. The Dunmer flung her sword off, narrowly deflecting the blow, and leaped to the side, giving Marcurio the chance to react as well. The path was suddenly lit by a burst of lightning from the mage's hands, and the figure recoiled, crying out at the shock. With the time this gave her, Bellona returned forward, slashing through the shadows and grabbing her opponent's attention again. As she backed towards the trees, trying to block off as many of the attacker's swift hits as she could, she called back towards the path.

"Now!"

Marcurio raised his hands now, lighting the area with a blast of fire that slammed into the figure's back. At last, the assailant collapsed, her only dying words a low snarl. In the silence that followed, Bellona returned to the path, her chest heaving. Marcurio joined her, laughing weakly at the insanity of it all.

"Nicely done," he remarked. Bellona smirked wordlessly, crouching at their fallen opponent's side and looking closely at her.

"Let's see what this was all about," she murmured, turning her on her back. With her mask removed, she was revealed as a Khajiit—apparently, Bellona hadn't gotten a closer look at the tail during the fight. She was unfortunately lacking in weaponry; as quick as the strikes had been, they had only been pulled off with a pair of daggers. Besides that, she held a few half-empty bottles of poison, and a crumpled sheet of paper which the elf quickly unfolded.

"_As instructed_," she read aloud, "_you are to eliminate the elven wanderer Bellona by any means necessary. The Black Sacrament has been performed—somebody wants this poor fool dead. We've already received payment for the contract. Failure is not an option. Astrid." _In the silence that followed, Marcurio bit his lip, approaching her wordlessly and reading over her shoulder.

"The Black Sacrament," he echoed, stunned. "Bellona...what in Oblivion did you do? If someone's been calling for the Dark Brotherhood just to get rid of you..." The Dunmer rose to her feet now, pocketing the note.

"We shouldn't have killed her," she remarked, her voice suddenly chilly. "She probably had information." The Imperial stared at her, trying to determine her meaning.

"Information? An assassin's come after you, and you're worried about _information_? What could you possibly need information on?"

"There's plenty I don't know here." Bellona rose to her feet, frowning at her companion. "Who decided they wanted to send the Brotherhood after me, for example. Who this lovely 'Astrid' is, and whether or not that's her real name. Most importantly..." She folded the paper into a neat square and pocketed it. "Where can I find them?" With that, she started up the path again, leaving Marcurio to gape after her for a moment.

"Wait...!" he called, dashing after her. "_Find _them? Why in Oblivion would you want to find the Dark Brotherhood?!" The Dunmer stopped again, turning back to look at him.

"Well, think of it this way. I've survived an assassination attempt, now. I know who's trying to get my blood, but I don't know who wants it. And there's nobody better to answer my questions than the perpetrators, right?" She leveled Marcurio with a calm smile, and he glared right back.

"I can answer your questions, Bellona. You run around Skyrim the way you do, killing bandits and finding treasure and somehow getting involved with every major city along the way, and you expect you've never made anyone angry? One of those people called for the Dark Brotherhood. Why are they trying to kill you? Because it's about profit to these people! Anything else you want to know?" Bellona's eyes softened, and she took a step closer.

"Sure. Do you want to help me?"

"_Help you_?!" Marcurio sputtered. "You're serious, then? You want to go hunt down the Dark Brotherhood?"

"I do. And I'm going to," the elf confirmed. "I know I paid you already, but I don't want to drag you into this if you're worried about your life. You can go, and I'll pay you extra for your time." The Imperial looked down now, irritated.

"...You paid me for my protection, remember?" he grumbled. "It's not worth your money to get rid of me when things are dangerous. I'll be at your side until you send me off." Bellona beamed, clapping a hand on her companion's shoulder.

"Great! Let's head back to Solitude, then. We have some planning to do." As she breezed past him again, Marcurio couldn't help but smirk.

"That's what I like to hear."


End file.
